Bale tying device

ABSTRACT

A bale tying device comprising a twister assembly positioned adjacent one side of the compaction chamber of bale forming apparatus and a needle carriage assembly positioned adjacent the opposite side of the compaction chamber such that material is moved between the twister assembly and the needle carriage assembly as a high density bale is formed. The needle carriage assembly moves intermediate portions of a plurality of strands of wire across the rear end of the compaction chamber to join each of the strands with an intermediate portion of another strand adjacent twister hooks of the twister assembly. The joined portions of the strands of wire are locked into V-shaped grooves on spaced twister hooks and intermediate portions of the joined strands are cut allowing twisting of the severed portions to form a tie around the bale while simultaneously preparing the unused wire for tying a subsequently formed bale.

[451 Feb. 5, 1974 [54] BALE TYING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Charles E. Burford, 1414 Frito Lay Tower, Exchange Park, Dallas, Tex. 75235 [22] Filed; Sept. l5, 1971 [2l] Appl. No.: 180,592

[52] U.S. Cl. 100/19 R, 100/4, 100/31 [51] Int. Cl. B65b 13/04, B65b 13/28 [58] Field of Search 1GO/19 R, 19 A, 29, 31, 4

Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Assistant Examiner-Philip R. Coe

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Howard E. Moore; Gerald G. Crutsnger 5 7 ABSTRACT A bale tying device comprising a twister assembly positioned adjacent one side of the compaction chamber of bale forming apparatus and a needle carriage as sembly positioned adjacent the opposite side of the compaction chamber such that material is moved be tween the twister assembly and the needle carriage assembly as a high density bale is formed. The needle carriage assembly moves intermediate portions of a plurality of strands of wire across the rear end of the compaction chamber to join each of the strands with an intermediate portion of another strand adjacent twister hooks of the twister assembly. The joined portions of the strands of wire are locked into V-shaped grooves on spaced twister hooks and intermediate portions of the joined strands are cut allowing twisting of the severed portions to form a tie around the bale while simultaneously preparing the unused wire for tying a subsequently formed bale.

18 Claims, 1l Drawing Figures PATENEU FEB 5 1974 SHEEIZDFG PAIENTEU FEB 51974 SHEET 8 UF 6 BALE TYING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Heretofore, no suitable bale tying apparatus has been devised for automatically tying a plurality of strands of stiff high tension wire around a bale of high density material such as waste paper and other industrial scrap material to allow expeditious disposal thereof and to facilitate recycling the material. The term high density" as used herein is, for example, paper compressed to a density in excess of fifteen pounds per cubic foot.

Bale tying devices` heretofore devised have been adapted for tying bales which were not held in a compacted condition by a plunger exerting substantial pressure while ties were being formed. Consequently, the volume of a bale containing a predetermined mass of material was excessive.

Bale tying devices heretofore devised have not been capable of providing automatic operation as high density bales were formed and consequently required substantial handling and manipulation of bales to accomplish the tying operation` A completed bale generally serves as the rear end of the compaction chamber into which the material to be baled is compressed. I-Ieretofore, wire has been disposed from a spool or coil at one side of the compaction chamber while the end of the wire is firmly anchored at the other side of the compaction chamber. As material was compressed into the chamber the wire was gripped between the previously formed bale and the bale being formed with such force that the wire was often broken. Therefore, high density bales had to be tied manually.

Another problem encountered in tying bales of material such as scrap paper results from accumulation of material on needles, employed for positioning wires about the bale, and adjacent twister apparatus. Accumulation of such material has, heretofore, caused malfunction of twisting apparatus.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION I have devised bale tying apparatus which is employed in conjunction with conventional bale forming apparatus to automatically secure a plurality of strands of wire about a bale while the bale is held in a compacted condition to form a bale having higher density than that which could be achieved by devices heretofore devised.

A typical bale forming apparatus might comprise a compression chamber into which material is deposited by suitable means such as a chute communicating with one end thereof. A plunger having a plurality of slots formed in the face thereof is urged by suitable means longitudinally through the compression chamber for compressing material thereinto.

The tying apparatus comprises a twister assembly positioned adjacent one side of the compression chamber and a needle carriage assembly positioned adjacent the opposite side of the compression chamber for moving a plurality of wires across the rear end of the compression chamber toward the twister assembly. The needle carriage assembly moves needles through open slots in the face of a plunger which is maintained in compressing relation with the bale to be tied. Since the slots in the plunger are often filled with material being pressed to form the bale, means is provided adjacent the twisters for directing one or more jets of air or other suitable fluid toward the twister assembly for cleaning same preparatory for twisting the wires delivered by the needles.

The twister assembly comprises a plurality of twister hooks, each of said hooks having a V-shaped slot fonned therein such that rotation of the hook engages portions of wires to be twisted, urging the wire into the V-shaped slot securely gripping same. Each strand of wire is moved to a position wherein spaced portions of the strand engage rotatable twister hooks and the intermediate portion between the hooks is moved into engagement with a cutter assembly. Rotation of the spaced twister hooks through a plurality of revolutions forms a secure tie in the wire extending about the bale and draws the wire thereabout taut while the bale is maintained in a compressed condition. Rotation of the hooks also joins ends of wires from spools disposed on opposite sides of the compression chamber such that a wire extends across the opening of the compression chamber into which a subsequent bale is to be formed. Since spools feed wire from each side of the compression chamber, pressure between bales cannot cause breakage of strands of wire as resulted using tying devices having a single spool at one side to feed wire.

Suitable means such as an electrical system is employed to automatically control the operation of the tying apparatus responsive to signals generated from the baling apparatus.

A primary object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus for tensioning and tying stiff wire about a bale while the bale is held in a compressed condition under high pressure such that the bale when released will be maintained in the compressed condition by wires extending thereabout.

Another object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus adapted to automatically perform a sequence of operations required to tie a high density bale responsive to a signal indicating that a bale has been formed.

A further object of the invention is to Yprovide high density bale tying apparatus wherein spaced twister hooks, adapted to securely grip sections of wire, are employed to draw a strand of wire taut about a bale and to form a strong tie capable of withstanding substantial force, said hooks being adapted to perform the tying operation even though substantial quantities of foreign matter such as shredded paper is present on the wire.

A still further object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus adapted to clean twisting apparatus prior to each twisting operation to remove foreign matter from the twisting mechanism to assure that a satisfactory tie will be formed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus particularly adapted for installation with bale forming apparatus of varying size and dimension at minimum cost making use thereof economically feasible for a wide variety of operations including disposal and recycling of waste products in addiJion to baling materials for sale.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent upon referring to the detailed description hereinafter following and the drawings annexed hereto.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention are annexed hereto so that the invention may be better and more fully understood, in which:

FIG. l is a schematic perspective view of the tying apparatus illustrating its relationship to bale forming apparatus;

FIG. II is a schematic side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. I;

FIG. III is a cross-sectional view taken along line III- -Ill of FIG. I;

FIG. IV is a perspective view of a finished bale which has been tied;

FIG. V is an exploded perspective view of the tying apparatus;

FIGS. VI, VII and IX are fragmentary plan views of the twister apparatus illustrating the tying sequence;

FIG. VIII is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. VII;

FIG. X is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of FIG. IX; and,

FIG. XI is a schematic diagram of the control system.

Numeral references are employed to designate like parts throughout the various figures of the drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. I of the drawing the numeral l generally designates the twisterassembly positioned on the opposite side of a compression chamber in which a bale 3 is formed from a needle carriage assembly generally designatd by numeral 2.

A bale is formed as loose material is deposited through a filling hopper or chute 4 into a compression chamber therebelow. Suitable means 5 having a plunger 6, best illustrated in FIG. IV, is employed for compressing loose material, delivered through chute 4, into the compression chamber forming bale 3.

A plurality of spools 8 of wire are spaced vertically adjacent twister assembly l, as will be hereinafter more fully described. A plurality of spools I of wire dispense strands of wire l1 along the side of compression chamber adjacent carriage assembly 2 such that when ends of strands 9 and ll are joined as by tying at 13 a plurality of vertically spaced strands of wire are formed extending across the compression chamber such that material forced into the compression chamber is urged against the wires such that a portion ofa loop is formed about the bale while the material is being compressed into the compression chamber.

As best illustrated in FIG. V, strands of wire 9 dispensed from spools 8 extend between guide rollers 14 and l and around guide rollers 16 and 18 positioned adjacent twister assembly 1 such that one of the strands 9 is positioned adjacent each pair of twister hooks 20 of twister assembly 1.

Each strand of wire ll dispensed from spool l0, on the opposite side of the path along which material to be compressed into a bale is moved, is directed between rollers 2l and 2 2 and between rollers 23 and 24 secured adjacent needle carriage assembly 2 such that each strand of wire ll is positioned adjacent a needle element 25.

Referring particularly to the needle carriage assembly illustrated in FIG. IV, needle carriage assembly 2 comprises a support frame having spaced vertically extending members 30, 31, 32, and 33, having lower ends joined by longitudinally extending members 34 and 35, upper ends being connected by longitudinally extending members 36 and 37. Transversely extending members 38 and 39 join lower ends of the upwardly extending members and transversely extending members 40 and 4l join upper ends thereof.

A plate 45 is secured by suitable means, such as threaded bolts 46, to the upper end of the support frame.

A carriage 50 is adapted to move a plurality of needle elements 25 longitudinally of needle carriage assembly 2.

Upper and lower guide bars 52 and 54 extend longitudinally of the support frame and control the direction of travel of carriage 50, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. A track 56 extends longitudinally of the needle carriage assembly 2 and is spaced vertically between upper and lower ends thereof. Opposite ends of track 56 are secured by mounting plates 58 and 59 to upwardly extending members 3l and 33 by suitable means such as bolts 60.

A rack gear 62 is secured to track 56 by suitable means such as bolts 64 and extends along the lower side thereof.

Carriage 50 comprises a plate 65 having means secured thereto for engagement with track 56 allowing longitudinal movement therealong while limiting vertical movement of plate 65. As best illustrated in FIG. V, rollers 66 are rotatable about an axle 67 extending through apertures formed in the plate, roller 66 being positioned to roll along the lower surface of track 56. Rollers 58, rotatable about an axle 69 extending through apertures in plate 65, are positioned to roll along the upper surface of track 56. Axle 69 extends through a bushing 70 which is received in aperture 72 formed in plate 65, the axle 69 being secured against longitudinal movement by a nut 73, lock washer 74 and washer 75.

Wheels 76 are rotatable about axles 77 extending through apertures 78 in lugs 79 welded or otherwise secured to the upper end of plate 65, said axle being secured against longitudinal movement by nuts 80 and lock washers 8l.

Wheels 82 are similarly secured to lugs 83 adjacent the lower edge of plate 65.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that rollers 66 and 68 limit vertical movement and carry the weight of plate 65 while rollers 76 and 82 limit movement of plate 65 transversely of the support frame directing travel of plate 65 longitudinally of guide bars 52 and 54.

The output shaft 84 of needle carriage drive motor 85 has a gear 86 secured thereto disposed in meshing contact with a gear 87 secured to mounting shaft 88. A gear 89 secured to shaft 88 is disposed in meshing relation with gear 90 secured to shaft 92. Connected to gear 90 is a pinion 94 disposed in meshing relation with teeth 63 on rack gear 62 secured to the lower side of track 56.

A gear box 96 is employed for housing the gears associated with the needle carriage drive motor 85, said gear box being connected by suitable means such as bolts extending through elongated openings 98 in an end of gear box 96 and through apertures 100 in plate 65 of carriage 50.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that power supplied from needle carriage drive motor 85 imparts rotation to pinion gear 94 in meshing relation with teeth 63 on rack gear 62 for movement of the carriage longitudinally of guide means 52 and 54.

Connector elements 102, having lugs 103 welded or otherwise secured thereto, are secured by suitable means such as bolts 105 extending through apertures 104 in plate 65 of carriage 50. Connector element 102 has elongated openings 106 extending therethrough for receiving bolts 107 extending through apertures 108 in needle arm 110. Bolts 107 are secured through apertures 108 and elongated openings 106 by a nut 111, lock washer 112 and washer 113.

A head 114 is secured to the outer end of each needle arm 110 and is adapted to engage a central portion of a strand 11 of wire and to move the portion of the strand 11 transversely across the path of movement of material being baled to a position wherein strand 11 and strand 9 may be twisted by a pair of twister hooks 20.

Needle head 114 comprises a pair of spaced clevises 116 and 118 having rollers 117 and 119 rotatably disposed therein on bushings 117' and 119. Rollers 117 and 119 are rotatable about screws 120 employed to rotatably secure the rollers to clevises 116 and 118.

Needle head 114 has a slot 122 extending therethrough between clevises 116 and 118 to allow positioning the clevises on opposite sides of jaws of the cutter assembly as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Cutout portions 124 and 126 extend through opposite sides of needle head 1 14 to allow positioning strands of wire 9 and 11 adjacent twister hooks on twisting heads 140 as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

Guide rollers 2l, 22, 23 and 24 are rotatably secured to mounting plates 26, which is welded or otherwise secured to upwardly extending members 27, which are in turn secured by suitable means such as bolts 27a to upwardly extending member 31 of the support frame of needle carriage assembly 2. Bolt 23a extends through an aperture in plate 26a and through bushing 23b, the lower end of said bolt extending through an aperture in plate 26 and being secured thereto by a nut 23C. Rollers 21, 22 Aand 24 are mounted in similar fashion.

A wire guide assembly 130 comprises suitable guide means such as spaced arms 132 and 134 secured to support member 135. Support member 135 is secured by suitable means such as bolts-136 to 'upwardly extending member 30 of the support frame.

Arms 132 and 134 have deflected portions l32a and 134a arranged to guide a strand of wire into a passage 138 between arms 132 and 134.

Rollers 21, 22, 23 and 24 are disposed in a plane in which rollers 117 and 119 on needle head 114 and in which passage 138 between arms 132 and 134 are disposed. Thus it should be appreciated that the strand 11 of wire will be maintained in a substantially horizontal plane by the respective guide means.

The twister assembly generally designated by numeral 1 comprises a plurality of vertically spaced pairs of twister hooks, each pair 20 of hooks lying in the same plane as the pair of rollers 117 and 119 of needle head 114 of the needle carriage assembly 2. Sets of rol- 1ers 14, 15, 16 and 18 likewise lie in this same plane such that a strand 9 of wire and a strand l1 of wire lie in a common plane to facilitate joining and twisting the strands together.

Each twister hook comprises a head 140 having a shoulder 142 and a finger 144 arranged to form a substantially V-shaped slot 146 such that a strand of wire extending into said V-shaped slot will be securely gripped therein.

Each head of each twister hook is secured to a shaft 148 having a gear 150 secured thereto. Suitable means such as upwardly extending members 152 rotatably support shafts 148 such that a pair of said twister heads 140 is positioned in each of a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal planes.

Idler gears 154 are disposed between gears 150 forming a gear train such that power delivered by a twister drive motor 155 is delivered to each shaft 148 for imparting rotation thereto. Any suitable means, such as a chain 156, may be employed for connecting one row of horizontally spaced twister hook shafts with the other row thereof.

As best illustrated in FIGS. V, VIII and X, means 158 is provided for severing strands 9 and 11 of wire intermediate twister heads'140.

Cutter plates 160 and 162, having substantially V- shaped openings 160a and 162a formed therein are pivotally connected by suitable means such-as a bolt 164 to an upwardly extending member 165 having upper and lower ends secured to a top 166 and bottom 177 of the frame of twister assembly l.

Each cutter plate 160 is pivotally connected to an arm 168 movably secured to the frame of twister assembly 1 by suitable means such as a bolt 169.

Each cutter plate 162 is pivotally connected to a vertically movable arm 170 by suitable means such as a bolt 171 and arms 168 and 170 are arranged for movement in opposite directions by links 172 and 174 having upper ends pivotally connected as by bolts 176 and 178 to actuating lever 180. An intermediate portion of actuating lever 180 is pivotally connected to a fulcrum 181.

The outer end of actuating lever 180 is pivotally connected by a pin 182 to the outer end of a rod 184 of pressure actuated cylinder 185. Cylinder 185 is secured by suitable means such as lug 186 and pin 187 to a support bar 188 secured to the twister assembly frame.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that supplying pressurized fluid to the inside of cylinder 185 results in movement of cutter plates 160 and 162 between the positions illustrated in FIG. VIII and FIG. X of the drawing. The electrical and hydraulic control system illustrated in FIG. Xl will be described in conjunction with the operation sequence of the apparatus.

OPERATION The operation and function of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows:

Referring to FIG. I of the drawing, conventional bale forming apparatus is employed for urging material to be baled against strands of wire 9 and 11 joined at 13 to form a loop around a portion of the bale. It should be appreciated that strands 9 and 11 are fed from separate spools or coils 8 and 10 at opposite sides of the baling apparatus such that excessive force is not exerted on the portion 11l of strand l1 which is gripped between bales 3 and 3.

When the baler is in position for the bale 3 to be tied, a signal is generated by a suitable switching apparatus 200 and delivered to the electrical control circuit of the tying apparatus, as illustrated in FIG. Xl, through line 201 to terminal 202. The control system of the baling apparatus causes plunger 6 to stop at the end of the compression stroke allowing initiation of the tying sequence of operation.

The plunger 6 having slotted openings 6a formed in the face thereof is positioned substantially as illustrated in FIG. Vl to allow passage of needle assembly elements 25 through respective openings 6a. Maintaining plunger 6 in pressure relation with the end of bale 3 while the tying operation is being performed maintains the material in the bale under pressure and facilitates movement of needle elements 25 adjacent thereto.

When the electrical signal from switching device 200 is received at terminal 202, the coil of relay R-l is activated. Current is then delivered across contacts 1-3 of relay R-l to terminal 204 and through line 206 to the coil of solenoid 208 thereby shifting valve 210 for directing pressurized fluid from pump 212 to needle carriage drive motor 85 initiating movement of carriage assembly 50 for moving needle elements 25 through slot 6a in plunger 6 to' the position illustrated in FIG. Vl of the drawing.

As needle elements 25 move toward the position illustrated in FIG. Vl, each needle element engages strands 11 of wire extending between guide rollers 21-24 and passage 135 between arms 132 and 134 as illustrated in FIG. V. The carriage assembly 50 continues to move toward twister assembly l until the carriage contacts limit switch LS-3. When switch LS-3 is engaged, normally closed contacts are actuated to break the circuit between contacts 1-3 of relay R-l and terminal 204 releasing solenoid 208 thereby stopping needle carriage drive motor 85. However, current is diverted through the normally open contacts of switch elements LS-3 to energize the coil of time delay apparatus TD- and starts to time out the stop position of the needle carriage 50.

The needle carriage 50 is stopped as ends of heads 114 move out of openings 6a and plunger 6 such that air jets may be blown from nozzles N to blow loose material from the end of the needle head 114 and needle head slot areas 122, 124 and 126 to assure that loose material will not be present which might interfere with the twisting of the strands 9 and 11 of the wire.

When time delay device TD-6 times out, needle carriage drive motor 85 is again energized imparting movement to needle carriage 50 until heads 114 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. VII, at which time carriage assembly 50 actuates limit switch LS-2. Actuation oflimit switch LS-2 breaks the circuit through normally closed contacts 1-2 thereof, breaking the circuit through contacts 1 3 of relay R-l and stopping the flow of pressurized fluid through needle carriage drive motor 85. The closing of contacts 3-4 of limit switch LS-2 diverts current from the normally closed contacts 1-2 through the normally open contacts 3-4 to terminal 214. From terminal 214 current is directed through the normally closed contacts 1-4 of relay R2 to terminal 216 to energize solenoid 218, shifting valve 220 for directing pressurized fluid to twister drive motor 155 causing twister hooks 140 to rotate in the forward direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. V.

Current is also directed from terminal 214 through the normally closed contacts 1 4 of relay R4 to terminal 222 thereby energizing solenoid 224 of valve 226 directing pressurized fluid to the lower end of cylinder 185 for extending the rod 184 thereof, shifting cutter plates 160 and A162 toward the position illustrated in FIG. X. When cutter plates reach the position illustrated in FIG. X actuating lever 180 engages limit switch LS-4 opening the normally closed contacts thereof breaking the circuit to terminal 222, deenergizing solenoid 224 and stopping movement of rod 184 of cylinder 185.

It should be appreciated that if it is deemed expedient to do so a time delay device may be introduced allowing rotation of twister hooks one or more revolutions before pressurized fluid is directed to cylinder 185 to assure that the wire is securely gripped in V- shaped slots 146 in twister head 140.

As twister heads 140 rotate in a forward direction, indicated by the arrow in FIG. V, twisting strands 9 and 11 of wire, limit switch LS-, best illustrated in FIGS. I and lX of the drawing, is being contacted on each revolution and steps a stepping switch on each revolution for counting and limiting rotation of shafts 148 to a predetermined number of revolutions. Experience has shown that rotation of twister hook shafts 148 through approximately seven (7) revolutions forms a tie drawing the strands of wire taut around the bale, the tie being sufficiently strong to assure that the wire will not be untied even though the wires are maintained in high tension.

When the wiper of limit switch LS6 steps to the position wherein terminals 33-28 are closed, the coil of relay R-2 is energized opening the normally closed contacts 1 and 4 of relay R-2 and closing contacts l and 3 thereof directing current to terminal 230. Terminal 230 is connected with solenoid 232 which when energized shifts valve 220 for directing pressurized fluid through twister drive motor for rotating same in a reverse direction imparting rotation to the twister hook 140 in the direction indicated by arrows in dashed outline in FIG. V.

As twister hooks 140 rotate in the reverse direction the twisted ends of strands 9 and l1 of wire are pulled out-of V-shaped slots 146 freeing the twisted wires therefrom. Limit switch LS-2 then causes the stepping device to advance two additional revolutions. When the stepping device reaches terminal 228 the coil of relay R-3 and the coil of relay R4 are energized. The needle carriage drive motor 85 is consequently energized for moving carriage assembly 50 for retracting needle elements 25 to the home position, provided limit switch LS-7 is being held by the cam on the twister drive shaft. Limit switch LS-7 is a safety switch to prevent movement of needle elements 25 until twister hook fingers 144 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. V to prevent physical contact with head 114.

When carriage assembly 150 contacts the trip arm of limit switch LS-2 current flows through limit switch LS-S to energize solenoid 232 for directing pressurized fluid such that the rod 184 of cylinder 185 will be retracted. When the current plates and 162 reach the home position limit switch LS-5 is held in the open position.

As carriage assembly 50 reaches the home positio micropulse switch MPS-l2 is actuated and a signal is delivered to the baling apparatus to indicate that the tying sequence has been completed.

When the carriage assembly 50 actuates limit switch LS-l needle carriage drive motor 85 is de-energized.

Push button switches PS-9, PS-10 and PS-l 1 are provided to allow manual control of the electrical system hereinbefore described.

Push button switch PS-9 is connected with terminal 202 in parallel with signal generating device 200 such that closing the contacts of switch PS-9 steps the apparatus through a complete operating cycle as hereinbefore described.

Push button switch PS-l is connected to allow manual retraction of needle carriage assembly 50. When the contacts of switch PS-10 are opened electrical circuits through the coils of all relays are broken and current is directed to solenoid 234 causing pressurized fluid to be directed through needle carriage drive motor 85 in a direction for moving needle carriage 50 toward the home position.

Push button switch PS-ll disconnects the electrical power supply from the electrical circuit to stop the various components of the tying device in any desired position as might be necessary for conducting maintenance operations.

Having described my invention l claim:

l. Apparatus for tying material moved along a path to form a bale, comprising, a twister support; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation to said twister support; means to rotate said twister hooks; cutter means on said twister support intermediate said twister hooks; a needle support spaced from said twister support; carriage guide means on said needle support; a carriage movably secured to said carriage guide means; means to move said carriage along said carriage guide means; a needle on said carriage arranged to position a wire adjacent said cutter means; and wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the path along which material to be baled is moved, said dispensing means being adapted to dispense wire from each side of said path when material is urged against a strand of wire extending therebetween.

2. The combination called for in claim l wherein the twister hook comprises, a shoulder and a finger angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said finger is directed into the slot and gripped between the shoulder and the finger.

3. The combination called for in claim 2 with the addition of means to secure the twister hooks such that the shoulder and the finger on each twister hook lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane in which wire carried by the needle is moved.

4. The combination called for in claim l wherein the needle has horizontally spaced wire guide means on the end thereof, said wire guide means having a slot formed therein such that the wire guide means is positionable on opposite sides of the cutter means for positioning wire adjacent thereto.

S. Apparatus for tying a bale comprising, at least two rotatable shafts; a projection extending outwardly from each shaft; cutter means arranged to sever wire positioned adjacent said projections; means to position a double strand of wire adjacent said projections; and means to rotate each of said shafts to move said projections into engagement with the wire to wrap severed ends of the wire about the shaft and to twist the severed ends of the wire about each other.

6. Bale tying apparatus comprising, a twister support; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation to said twister support; a finger on each of said hooks; means to rotate said twister hooks; cutter means on said twister support intermediate said twister hooks; a needle support spaced from said twister support; carriage guide means on said needle support; a wire carrying carriage movably secured to said carriage guide means; means to move said carriage along said carriage guide means; a needle on said carriage arranged to position a wire adjacent said cutter means; and horizontally spaced wire guide means on the end of said needle, said wire guide means having a slot formed therein such that the guide is positionable on opposite sides of the cutter means for positioning wire adjacent thereto, said wire guide means having cut-out portions formed in opposite sides thereof positionable to receive fingers on the rotating twister hooks to catch and grip wire carried by the needle.

7. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the twister hook comprises, a shoulder and a finger angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said finger is directed into the slot between the shoulder and the finger and gripped between the shoulder and the finger.

8. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of means to secure the twister hooks such that the shoulder and the finger on each twister hook lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane in which wire carried by the needle is moved.

9. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of means to direct pressurized fluid over said twister hooks to remove foreign matter therefrom.

l0. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of a path extending between said twister support and said needle support; means for compacting material against a strand of wire, said compaction means being adapted to permit passage of said needle across the path to a position adjacent said twister hooks.

ll. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the means to move the carriage along the guide means comprises, a rack gear secured to said carriage; a pinion gear disposed in meshing relation with said rack gear; and means to rotate said pinion gear.

12. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the cutter means comprises cutter plates having substantially V-shaped openings formed therein; means to secure said plates to said twister support; and means secured to at least one of said plates for moving said plate between a first position wherein said V-shaped openings are in alignment and a second position wherein said V-shaped openings are not aligned for severing a strand of wire extending through said V-shaped openings.

13. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of a plurality of needles secured to said carriage; and a plurality of pairs of twister hooks secured to said twister support.

I4. The combination c'alled for in claim 6 wherein said wire guide means comprises, clevis means secured to each side of said needle forming a slot therebetween; roller means rotatably secured to said clevis, said needle having cut-out portions formed in opposite sides thereof adjacent said rollers for receiving fingers on said twister hooks.

15. Bale tying apparatus comprising, a twister support; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation to said twister support, each of said twister hooks comprising a shoulder and a projection angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said projections is directed into the slot and is gripped between the shoulder and the projection; a needle support spaced from said twister support; a needle having slots formed in opposite sides thereof, said slots being positionable to receive projections on the rotating twister hooks to Catch and grip wire carried by the needle; and means to rotate said twister hooks to move said projection into engagement with wire carried by said needle to twist the wire.

16. The combination called for in claim l with the addition of means to direct pressurized air over said twister hooks to remove foreign material from said slots in said needle.

17. A tying device for tying wire looped about material compressed in a compaction chamber to form a bale comprising, first and second wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the compression chamber, strands of wire from each of said dispensing means being tied together to form a continuous strand extending across the chamber; a needle support adjacent one side of the chamber; a needle; means to secure the needle to the needle support; a twister support adjacent another side of the chamber; spaced twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation on said twister support; means to move the needle relative to the needle support such that intermediate portions of said continuous strand of wire are moved together and positioned adjacent said twister hooks; and means to rotate said twister hooks to engage and twist wire positioned adjacent thereto.

18. The combination called for in claim 5 with the addition of means for directing a jet over a strand of wire adjacent said projections to remove foreign matter therefrom. 

1. Apparatus for tying material moved along a path to form a bale, comprising, a twister support; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation to said twister support; means to rotate said twister hooks; cutter means on said twister support intermediate said twister hooks; a needle support spaced from said twister support; carriage guide means on said needle support; a carriage movably secured to said carriage guide means; means to move said carriage along said carriage guide means; a needle on said carriage arranged to position a wire adjacent said cutter means; and wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the path along which material to be baled is moved, said dispensing means being adapted to dispense wire from each side of said path when material is urged against a strand of wire extending therebetween.
 2. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the twister hook comprises, a shoulder and a finger angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said finger is directed into the slot and gripped between the shoulder and the finger.
 3. The combination called for in claim 2 with the addition of means to secure the twister hooks such that the shoulder and the finger on each twister hook lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane in which wire carried by the needle is moved.
 4. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the needle has horizontally spaced wire guide means on the end thereof, said wire guide means having a slot formed therein such that the wire guide means is positionable on opposite sides of the cutter means for positioning wire adjacent thereto.
 5. Apparatus for tying a bale comprising, at least two rotatable shafts; a projection extending outwardly from each shaft; cutter means arranged to sever wire positioned adjacent said projections; means to position a double strand of wire adjacent said projections; and means to rotate each of said shafts to move said projections into engagement with the wire to wrap severed ends of the wire about the shaft and to twist the severed ends of the wire about each other.
 6. Bale tying apparatus comprising, a twister support; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation to said twister support; a finger on each of said hooks; means to rotate said twister hooks; cutter means on said twister support intermediate said twister hooks; a needle support spaced from said twister support; carriage guide means on said needle support; a wire carrying carriage movably secured to said carriage guide means; means to move said carriage along said carriage guide means; a needle on said carriage arranged to position a wire adjacent said cutter means; and horizontally spaced wire guide means on the end of said needle, said wire guide means having a slot formed therein such that the guide is positionable on opposite sides of the cutter means for positioning wire adjacent thereto, said wire guide means having cut-out portions formed in opposite sides thereof positionable to receive fingers on the rotating twister hooks to catch and grip wire carried by the needle.
 7. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the twister hook comprises, a shoulder and a finger angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said finger is directed into the slot between the shoulder and the finger and gripped between the shoulder and the finger.
 8. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of means to secure the twister hooks such that the shoulder and the finger on each twister hook lie in a plane substantially perpendicular to a plane in which wire carried by the needle is moved.
 9. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of means to direct pressurized fluid over said twister hooks to remove foreign matter therefrom.
 10. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of a path extending between said twister support and said needle support; means for compacting material against a strand of wire, said compaction means being adapted to permit passage of said needle across the path to a position adjacent said twister hooks.
 11. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the means to move the carriage along the guide means comprises, a rack gear secured to said carriage; a pinion gear disposed in meshing relation with said rack gear; and means to rotate said pinion gear.
 12. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the cutter means comprises cutter plates having substantially V-shaped openings formed therein; means to secure said plates to said twister support; and means secured to at least one of said plates for moving said plate between a first position wherein said V-shaped openings are in alignment and a second position wherein said V-shaped openings are not aligned for severing a strand of wire extending through said V-shaped openings.
 13. The combination called for in claim 6 with the addition of a plurality of needles secured to said carriage; and a plurality of pairs of twister hooks secured to said twister support.
 14. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein said wire guide means comprises, clevis means secured to each side of said needle forming a slot therebetween; roller means rotatably secured to said clevis, said needle having cut-out portions formed in opposite sides thereof adjacent said rollers for receiving fingers on said twister hooks.
 15. Bale tying apparatus comprising, a twister support; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation to said twister support, each of said twister hooks comprising a shoulder and a projection angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said projections is directed into the slot and is gripped between the shoulder and the projection; a needle support spaced from said twister support; a needle having slots formed in opposite sides thereof, said slots being positionable to receive projections on the rotating twister hooks to catch and grip wire carried by the needle; and means to rotate said twister hooks to move said projection into engagement with wire carried by said needle to twist the wire.
 16. The combination called for in claim 15 with the addition of means to direct pressurized air over said twister hooks to remove foreign material from said slots in said needle.
 17. A tying device for tying wire looped about material compressed in a compaction chamber to form a bale comprising, first and second wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the compression chamber, strands of wire from each of said dispensing means being tied together to form a continuous strand extending across the chamber; a needle support adjacent one side of the chamber; a needle; means to secure the needle to the needle support; a twister support adjacent another side of the chamber; spaced twister hooks rotatably secured in spaced apart relation on said twister support; means to move the needle relative to the needle support such that intermediate portions of said continuous strand of wire are Moved together and positioned adjacent said twister hooks; and means to rotate said twister hooks to engage and twist wire positioned adjacent thereto.
 18. The combination called for in claim 5 with the addition of means for directing a jet over a strand of wire adjacent said projections to remove foreign matter therefrom. 